Twenty Two pheasants stretched out across the field. Digging in the snow for dropped soya beans.
You might have to click on the image and zoom in a bit. They are there. They are really just little dots but I wanted you to see them all spread out across the huge field.
I have seen more pheasants in the field this year than ever before – searching for leavings.
When I awoke yesterday morning the temperature was MINUS EIGHTEEN. With sun. This morning is much better we are at minus six.
How funny, how fast it is, that minus six sounds better. But it is better.
The major casualty had been this insulated drinking trough across the way. It has a heater in there but something has failed. By yesterday morning it was totally iced up- a block of ice. No water for the cows and hogs across the way.
So now I am carrying water for them as well. Plus the cows, pigs, chickens etc on the home side as the outside faucet does not run in this kind of cold.
Someone asked my yesterday how much water that was now. Well, I fill 50 gallon buckets ( two thirds of the way up otherwise I cannot life as many in a row) in batches of Six. I fill them from the kitchen sink – nothing is running outside. I run two batches of six here then two batches across the way – three times a day.
Usually it is only this side.
Monday is above freezing so on Monday I hope to be able to fill everything up with the hoses.
Then we drop down to the real cold.
Of course it would be the week that Our John is in California helping out his brother.
Otherwise things are pretty good out here in the cold – so far. I am ready for it and have systems prepared for any eventuality that I have encountered previously. Loading up the truck with buckets of warm water then carrying them through the snow is a bit of a bore.
I have put the full weather forecast in today so you can see that we only get the very bad cold for about 48 hours. As usual the radio ( I have no television so I don’t know what they are saying) has gone into overdrive hype. But so far I see no weather that is as bad as 2014 here.
It will be worse further north I think.
I hope you have sun today.
Sun makes everything better in these grey regions.
Love c
The Kitchen's Garden 
26 responses to “CAN YOU SEE THEM?”
-6 it might be, but I noticed that the feels like temperature is -23!!! A brave woman filling your buckets!
Christine
I remember temperatures like yours from the years I lived in Chicago & Milwaukee. My teeth never stopped chattering. When it was that cold the sun always seemed to shine the brightest. Cloud cover & gray skies warmed things up. Cold “snaps” lasted for days & days way back then in the Ice Age.
yes, i did have to zoom, but how cool. our extreme cold is supposed to hit tomorrow. c’mon spring!
Dinner!
You must have the strength of an ox (not that I’m questioning gender or little bits)!
Bloody water heater 😛 Laura
Cecilia’s Health Club…..plenty of outdoor exercise! My hat’s off to you- Determination is your middle name!
You are a determined and very strong little bit of a human. That kind of cold is unfathomable. I’ll be thinking of you out there taking care of every little creature. BRRRR!!
Hats off to you Celi for taking care of all those gods creatures! Well perhaps not hats off! Hats on and actually toques because I am in Alberta! Our share of weird weather here this year as it has been super mild. I woke to plus 6 Celsius this morning and now it is raining! So weird for us. Give it an hour and it will become snow I am sure. At least with all your work you don’t have the expense of a gym membership! Always look at the bright side. Hugs from afar!
I like that this work keeps me fit! I certainly feel my shoulders tonight!
Wow! Talk about ‘mind over matter’! You just go out and get what needs doin’ DONE! Yes, and hats off to your “Heath Club”, as Kathe put it! Stay well!
The life of a farmer. Kind of you to help out the animals across the way.
I “fixed” my barn faucet this summer but it is still freezing at 32 degrees …it’s a frost-free model, so the plunger must not be closing all the way. I’m no plumber! 🙂 And no plumbers want to come this far out. Thankfully I only have to do about 3 buckets of water, so I feel for you, that’s a lot of work you are doing.
I can’t zoom in on any of the pics, darn.
That’s an exhausting amount of water. I hope this is the worst of the winter for you and it retreats back to something that isn’t quite so awful all the damn time.
Once again we are weather opposites. Our 43C temps cooled yesterday to 35C, and the overnight lows from 29C to 21C this morning. Thank goodness. I don’t know how it is humanly possible to lift a 50 gallon bucket. You are amazing.
Water is the worst part of winter – all the filling of buckets (in the house) and the schlepping. I feel your pain… 🙂
You got it! At least I am not alone!!